Alphapix unviverses

Recommended Posts

I'm curious. On the AlphaPix 4, I can run more than one universe per output. So at what pixel does it roll over to the next universe?

For example, if I configure the AlphaPix output 1 to start at Universe 1 and declare that I have 310 pixels connected (well below the 340 pixels of 2 universes), will it put 170 pixels in universe 1? Or will it put only 155 pixels in universe 1 as I declared in Pixel Editor?

If it's the former, then I have some work to do in PE to reconfigure my pixels, channels, and universes to match.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

No expert here on the Alphapix but I'm pretty certain it will cross universes at the 170 pixel mark, like most do. But you should be able to tell it to only use 155 pixels on universe 1, output 1. Then on output 2 start at universe 2. Then again, I am not familiar with the Alphapix 4

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

It will roll over to Universe 2 after pixel 170. Although I strongly suggest against doing it I tried it one time and the performance of the lights goes down dramatically. If you try to run anything through the pixels that moves fast the pixels may not keep up. Essentially you cut the refresh rate of the lights in half when you extend them that far

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Not sure why performance would suffer when I use fewer than 170 pixels per universe. I'm just trying to understand what happens if I use more than one universe on an output and each universe is not fully populated. Does LOR, or PE, or the hardware determine the crossover point to the next universe?

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Not sure why performance would suffer when I use fewer than 170 pixels per universe. I'm just trying to understand what happens if I use more than one universe on an output and each universe is not fully populated. Does LOR, or PE, or the hardware determine the crossover point to the next universe?

If you run MORE then a 170 pixels per physical output the performance goes down due to the time it takes to cycle back to the first pixel. The controller will set the first 170 pixels (510 channels) on Universe 1 then put the remainder on Universe 2 . I have one of the original Alphapix 4 and it is lacking in features, I understand they've updated quite a bit and maybe the new firmware will give you more choices. LOR software doesn't configure very well when you span universes across a single prop from what I remember, most people don't do it so it doesn't come up often.

Link to post

Share on other sites

It will roll over to Universe 2 after pixel 170. Although I strongly suggest against doing it I tried it one time and the performance of the lights goes down dramatically. If you try to run anything through the pixels that moves fast the pixels may not keep up. Essentially you cut the refresh rate of the lights in half when you extend them that far

This isn't true. You have something wrong with your setup.

You can run, and I have seen, hundreds and hundreds of pixels, with delays in the miliseconds.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I used the AlphaPix 4 on 4 arches with 50 pixels each. My first attempt was to put them all on one output with power injection and everything worked fine until there was any element that had to move fast through the arches (Shimmer effect looked the worst). I did a little research on this and found that combining the data from two universes to one SPI output created issues in many cases along with the extra time it takes to cycle through the extra pixels (Shimmer or twinkle in a DMX or a E1.31 setting relies on the network it's not hardware based like the Lor controllers) so using the same controller I just split my arches up to 2 different outputs which cured all of the problems I was having and there was a very noticeable difference in the response time with fast-moving elements. So the information that I'm giving is based on real-life experience not something I read someplace. Some people may not care that one element isn't flashing at the same speed or consistency as everything else (but I did). But I also want to make sure that the lights are hanging straight around my windows and doors as well.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

There may indeed be a problem with more than one universe per output on an Alphapix. I have four universes on output one on an Alphapix 4.

At the transition between U1 and U2, the board is inserting two null pixels. These pixels light up in test mode, but never in a sequence. At the transition between U2 and U3, I now see 4 null pixels. The error seems cumulative.

The error is consistent whether the sequence is from PE, SE, or Xlights. I have a ticket open with Holidaycoro, but so far I got a form letter showing me how to number universes.